Upper body co-activation and diversified movement when walking on Active Routes -mildly challenging city routes compared to flat even surface and potential health benefits

This paper explores the physiological effects of walking a mildly challenging urban route compared to conventional routes.It shows how each landscape element can diversify the movement of the particular body parts, and what benefits it can bring to health.To bridge the gap between biological theory and application in urban design, seven types of challenges in existing urban environments that people commonly find attainable to walk through were chosen for the experiment: balancing on a curb, stepping up 440 and 660 mm, stepping down 240mm, walking up and down 1:17 slopes and walking on uneven surfaces. Video recordings were analysed to determine positions of the body parts and assess them against the literature review. Potential benefits included improved mindfulness and flexibility and reduced back pain and varicose veins.The findings can support designers and policy makers in introducing the described features in urban planning and development to improve population health.